College Resources

Interactive Class Activities

BINGO!: Stereotype Edition
Anthropologist Mark Moritz writes about his approach for getting students to recognize how films and media perpetuate stereotypes and myths about African forager groups. The BINGO! format discussed is a great activity for stereotype- and myth-busting for any subject.

Nidad: The Maize and Malaria Card Game
This is a strategy and risk game modeled after the Ethiopian agricultural system. The name of the game, Nidad, or malaria, in Amharic, emphasizes the link between maize, mosquitoes, and malaria as found in the Rockefeller Foundation study lead by Boston University Professor James McCann. Instructions, game templates, and playing cards are all easily printable.

African Democracy Simulation Activity
In this simulation, students will study the politics around an upcoming election in the fictional African country of Mambia. In different groups, students will study the perspectives of and represent one of seven community organizations in a national meeting. In this meeting, students must develop collective goals for Mambia’s civil society for responding to the growing authoritarianism of the incumbent leader, President Jones. This innovative and engaging lesson plan includes procedures, readings, and handouts.

Resource Guides

Exploring Diseasein Africa: A Curriculum Guide for High School & College StudentsThis curriculum guide undermines biases that imply that Africa is a disease-ridden continent, that help for these diseases only came with the arrival of outsiders, and that disease on the continent continues to a problem that only foreign aid and western ideas can fix. This resource counters these ideas by focusing on the only disease that has been globally eradicated (smallpox); an ancient disease that lingers on today (sleeping sickness); and a disease that has only emerged in the lifetime of your students (AIDS). The resource is available in several parts linked below.

Teaching Ebola: Responses, Ethics, and the FutureCreated by Melissa Graboyes, a University of Oregon professor, this curriculum guide focuses on the 2014 ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. Designed for advanced high school students or first or second-year college students, it contains thoroughly-researched readings, classroom activities, and an annotated list of additional recommended resources. The materials explore the logistical scope of the Ebola outbreak and the countries and people affected as well as the role of Western media in its depiction of Africans during the crisis. This resource may serve as an entry point for exploring other topics related to media bias, global health, and disease.

Multimedia Resources

Case Studies in Colonialism Lecture Series

The Boston University African Studies Center presents the Case Studies in Colonialism Lecture Series. The series seeks to challenge the misconception that colonialism was a universal experience across the African continent. These videos are suitable for upper high school and college students. For more resources and lesson plans on teaching about colonialism, please visit ushere.

Case Studies in Colonialism: Algeria and Morocco

In the video below, Boston University Professor of History Diana Wylie warns of the danger of broad generalizations about colonialism in Africa. To illustrate the complexity and idiosyncrasies of colonialism found throughout the continent, Professor Wylie compares and contrasts the colonial experiences specifically in Algeria and Morocco.

Case Studies in Colonialism: Senegal

In the video below, Boston University Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the African Language Program Fallou Ngom focuses on the specificities of colonialism in Senegal and how Senegal’s unique history and culture shaped and were shaped by the colonial experience.

Languages of Africa Series

The Language of Africa series highlights a number of languages spoken around the continent and explores the personal and cultural connections each language has for its speaker. These abbreviated clips are an excellent way of introducing the multiculturalism and linguistic diversity found throughout the continent and provide students with an opportunity to think about the way their use of a specific language(s) carries with it historical and cultural connotations as well.

Afrikaans

In this particular video, Professor Zoliswa Mali provides an example of the Afrikaans language. Afrikaans is one of the official languages of South Africa and is the third most spoken language in the country. For more information on the Afrikaans language, please follow the linkhere.

(Portuguese) Creole

In this particular video, Professor Fallou Ngom provides an example of the Creole language. Creole is one of many languages spoken in Senegal, but examples of Creole can be found in numerous countries worldwide. For more information on the Creole language, please follow the linkhere.

Mandika

In this particular video, Professor Fallou Ngom provides an example of the Mandinka language. Mandika is the primary language of the Gambia but variations are spoken in Senegal and parts of Guinea-Bissau. For more information on theMandikalanguage, please follow the linkhere.

Sesotho

In this particular video, Professor Zoliswa Mali provides an example of the Sesotho language. Sesotho is one of the official languages of South Africa and is the national language of Lesotho. For more information on the Sesotho language, please follow the linkhere.

Xhosa

In this particular video, Professor Zoliswa Mali provides an example of the isiXhosa language. IsiXhosa (known as Xhosa in English) is one of the official languages of South Africa and is widely spoken throughout the country. For more information on the isiXhosa language, please follow the linkhere.

Zulu

In this particular video, Professor Zoliswa Mali provides an example of the Zulu language. Zulu is one of the official languages of South Africa and is the most widely spoken home language there. Zulu is also spoken in surrounding Southern Africa countries, such as Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland. For more information on the Zulu language, please follow the linkhere.